


Rendezvous with the Future

by bookscape



Category: Lost in Space (TV 1965), Zorro (TV 1957)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-09 15:10:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19478476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookscape/pseuds/bookscape
Summary: How Diego de la Vega and John Robinson met each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**This is a crossover story that  
includes characters from Zorro and Lost in Space. **

_**Description:** _ **  
A time traveling alien who snatches specimens from backward worlds for his space borne zoo finds he has more than he can handle when he abducts Zorro. The masked outlaw teams up with the irrepressible Will and Penny Robinson, (who have also been kidnapped), and later the entire Robinson family.**

** BTW ** **\- You realized, of course, that I conjectured a future wedding for our hero, else wise, our intrepid Zorro would have no descendants, at least direct ones. LOL. I have heard that some of you have taken care of that problem. BTW It has been many years since I have seen more than a snippet of LIS, so any mistakes are due to faulty memory. Of course, I changed the date for LIS, due to many moons passing since the show did. (1998)**

**_Disclaimers_ :  
Zorro, Diego de la Vega, Bernardo, Don Alejandro de la Vega, Will and Penny Robinson, Professor John and the rest of the crew of the Jupiter II belong to people other than myself, and I only borrowed them to come and play for a while.**

**_A note from the Author:_  
I want to thank everyone on the Zorro lists for being so kind and supportive.**

**\--Susan  
L. Kite  
13 September, 1998, with some minor corrections made 8 April, 2002.**

**  
**

**  
**

**Zorro opened his eyes and saw an unnatural light coming from the ceiling above him. Jumping to his feet, he observed that there were no lanterns or candles anywhere, only the soft light that seemed to emanate from above his head. The room was obviously a bedroom of sorts, with a bed similar to the one he was used to, but it had very little else in the way of furniture. A small, plain wardrobe stood in one corner and a contrivance, looking like some kind of washstand stood in another. There were a few pictures on three of the walls, reflecting scenes somewhat familiar. The strangest feature, though, was a vast opaque window, which covered one whole side of the room. His sword was still at his side, so he used it to gently prod at the strange window in front of him before he touched it with his gloved hand, and although it was not clear, it did seem to be some kind of glass. Sheathing his blade, Zorro sat down on the bed, and pondered how he ended up in this unfamiliar room.**

**  
**

**He remembered he had been returning home from capturing a bandit that had been terrorizing the area for several days, robbing couriers and rich travelers on the _El Camino_ _Real_. It had taken some time to trail the bandit after his last robbery and by the time Zorro had taken the prisoner to the _cuartel_ and left him with Sgt. Garcia, it had been approaching midnight. **

**  
**

**The light!He recalled a great, strange, all consuming light coming from above him. It was blinding, piercing even through closed eyelids! At the moment he didn’t even have time to conjecture if it was a heavenly light or hell-sent, although now, in his present circumstance, he was beginning to think it was probably the latter. Tornado had begun screaming and bucking in fear. And then there was a loud high-pitched whistling sound.**

**  
**

**The stallion went berserk and before he knew it, Zorro was on the ground in a daze, blinded by the terrible light. And that was the last thing he could remember until waking up in this strange room.**

**  
**

**Zorro searched completely around the room, puzzled that there was no door. Well acquainted with secret passages, he was thorough in his search, but could find no way out. " _Buenos tardes_ , is there anyone who can hear me?" he called. Receiving no answer, the outlaw lay down, totally confused and for once not having any idea what to do.**

**  
**

*********************************************

**  
**

**In a nearby room, two other prisoners were pondering their situation. They were only children, snatched from their family on a planet a long way from their real home. "Will, how are we going to get out of this?" the dark haired girl asked, her large, expressive eyes brimming with unshed tears.Even though she was older, the girl looked to her younger brother for the answers to their problems.This kidnapping had been especially hard for her.**

**  
**

**"Penny, if I could only get to the navigational computer, I think I could put in the coordinates to get us back to the Jupiter II," Will Robinson explained. His hair was flame red and his face sprinkled with many freckles. "You remember when we were first caught and Riboxis was yelling at the whole bunch of us. I was near the helm and was able to read the printout of the coordinates of the planet we were captured on. I remember them and all I have to do is feed them in to get the course. And even if I couldn’t do that, I think I could put in a distress signal that Dad might be able to pick up. But we haven’t been able to get anywhere near the command deck or the central computer," he added in frustration.**

**  
**

**"Maybe one of the other prisoners could help us," Penny Robinson suggested, lamely, with a touch of hope in her voice.**

**  
**

**"But so far all of the other prisoners have been captured from underdeveloped planets, where the technology is far below ours or Riboxis’."Will sighed. "Oh, well, I suppose we should go take dinner to the newest member of this little zoo. Come on."**

**  
**

**This was the part of their imprisonment that they liked the least, having to care for the poor scared souls who had been snatched from their homes. He and Penny knew about space ships, space travel and modern technology, but most of these other unfortunates thought they had been thrown into some kind of hell or witches’ den. Sometimes in their fright, the prisoners had tried to attack Penny and Will, but the children’s special key card would not allow any prisoner closer than three feet from the children if an attack occurred.**

**  
**

**Will walked to the door and looked up at the monitor. A tall man, dressed completely in black, lay calmly on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his face a study of intense concentration. A black hat lay on his chest, a weapon that appeared to be a sword rested along his left hip and his gloved hands were clasped behind his head, which was partially covered with a bandana and a mask. That last fact shocked Will. Had Riboxis captured some kind of pirate?**

**  
**

**They were protected at any rate, so Will slid his key card into the slot and watched as the door hissed open. Several things happened at once. The man who had been lying on the bed when Will had looked on the monitor was instantly on his feet with the sword out and postured in a fighting stance. But he didn’t approach them and when he saw they were children he placed the weapon back in its sheath and straightened up.**

**  
**

**"Will, he has a mask on," Penny whispered, a bit fearful of the tall, black clad man, who seemed so quick to fight. Will was looking at the man intently as though he reminded him of someone he knew.There was something vaguely familiar with him, something that reminded him of someone else.**

**  
**

**"We have something for you to eat, sir," Will told him politely, and then waited the few seconds it took for the translator to kick in. When it did, Will did a double take. The language sounded very much like Spanish. The prisoner did a double take, too, seemingly confused that the voice was coming from the ceiling.**

**  
**

**"Were you speaking English?" he asked the children in their language. His English was accented and stilted as though he spoke it very seldom, but still the children were able to understand him without much problem. They both nodded and the strange voice didn’t come back out of the air. "Where am I?" he asked them, bluntly.**

**  
**

**"You’re on a space ship, heading, who knows where. We were captured, too," the boy answered. "Where are you from?"**

**  
**

**"I am from the _Pueblo de Los Angeles_. I am called Zorro," he answered anticipating the next question. "Are we alone or are we being heard?" Zorro glanced at the ceiling again.**

**  
**

**"Did you say Los Angeles?" Penny asked incredulously. "That’s on Earth."**

**  
**

**" _Sí_ , it is in California, _señorita_."Zorro smiled in relief.The idea that there was someone who was familiar with his homeland was somehow reassuring in this place that seemed so strange.At this point, it didn’t matter to him if they were _Americanos_ or British.**

**  
**

**"This is going to sound silly, sir, but what year is it?" Will asked Zorro. He still couldn’t put his finger on what made this man seem familiar.**

**  
**

**"Why, 1820, _muchacho_ ," Zorro answered with a smile. "What year is it for you?"**

**  
**

**"2009," Will decided he might as well get the shock over with, although this prisoner seemed to be very astute. The man’s revelation was a bit of a shock to him, too. He was unaware that Riboxis had the means to travel through time as well as space.**

**  
**

**"Well, children, I suppose that I must be dreaming, hallucinating, in purgatory, or you have a lot to explain to me. But I repeat, are we being heard by anyone else?"Somehow Zorro had the idea that if there were people who could kidnap him and put him in a room where the light came from seemingly no concrete source, where doors appeared magically and children said they were from the future, then it was possible for someone to be listening.He remembered the times when he had listened to others from spy holes in his own _hacienda_.**

**  
**

**Will went over to the window and held the card against the glass. It cleared to show the trio a veritable parade of alien beings. "By the Saints!" Zorro declared and jumped back a couple of paces in shock. "I believe I am in purgatory, but what have I done to deserve this?" The outlaw couldn’t begin to describe the different beings that were watching on the other side of the glass. Most had torsos, heads and limbs, but there the similarity to anything human ended. Zorro realized that his hand was resting on the hilt of his sword, but knew that it would be useless to draw it.**

**  
**

**"No, sir, you were captured by an alien named Riboxis, who seems to collect prisoners from all over the galaxy for his zoo. Those are paying customers who have come to see you and everybody else that’s here." Will laughed. "I’m afraid you aren’t giving them a good show, Mr. Zorro. I think Riboxis likes to get prisoners from backward worlds because they will rant and rave and try to fight."**

**  
**

**"We have to leave, sir, but we will think on what we have talked about," Will said cryptically. "We really would like to learn a little Spanish," he added and winked at Zorro. He and Penny left and the door slid shut.**

**  
**

**The boy had forgotten to change the glass back, although it wouldn’t have mattered. All pretense to privacy was now gone. Sighing, Zorro went ahead and tried the food, turning his back on the nightmarish parade of creatures at the window. It was sustenance; that was all. No _tortillas_ , no _chilies_ , and no wine.It was all very bland, he thought wryly to himself.**

**  
**


	2. Chapter 2

Rendezvous to the Future

_**Rendezvous to the Future**_  
  
---  
  
**Chapter Two**

**Much later the crowd dissipated, and when the lights beyond the window had gone dark and the ones in his own cubicle dimmed, Zorro heard the hiss of the strange door as it slid open. The boy peered in and motioned to him. The black-clad man saw no reason not to trust the young man and walked on out of the little room.**

**Then the boy motioned for him to stop. "Can you leave the cape and hat?" he whispered. "At least we might fool the guard who comes by and checks the monitor occasionally."**

**“Monitor?” Zorro asked.**

**“That’s a thing that allows the guard to see into each room,” Will said, pointing to the small screen set into the wall near the door.**

**Zorro stared at it in awe and then nodded and removed both articles. The bed was rearranged and a cursory glance would serve to fool anybody but the most observant individual.**

**The three went to what appeared to Zorro to be a storage area of some kind. The boy led him behind some boxes. "This is where Penny and I come sometimes to talk privately.As far as we know, we can’t be heard. By the way, I am Will Robinson and this is my sister, Penny." he said. "Is Zorro your only name?"**

**"I have been called other names, but you are children and I will not repeat them," he laughed softly. "How did I get from Los Angeles to somewhere out in the stars, if I understood what you were saying earlier about a ‘space ship’?"**

**"This space ship travels from planet to planet, you know among the stars." Will had to keep remembering that even though this man seemed very intelligent, he was still from 1820. "They came to California and captured you."**

**"Hmm. How do you and I get back to our homes?" Zorro asked, pointedly.**

**"Will says he can figure out how to get back to our family, but I don’t know about your home," Penny said softly, still in awe of the dark clad man.**

**"Wait, they have crewmen that look human, if we could get you a uniform, then you could accompany us to the command deck and I could get into the central computer to get the coordinates for both of our homes! There is something in the uniform of a crewmember that doesn’t trip the alarms. It would look normal for you to be taking us anywhere in the ship," Will said excitedly.Zorro just stared at him as though he had begun speaking a foreign language. Will correctly interpreted the look and explained, "Take my word for it, if you can help us get to a certain part of the ship, then I can find out how to take us all back home or at least get help."**

**Zorro nodded. Even though the boy was still a child, he seemed to have the mental capabilities of an adult, as well as knowledge of this time and place, so the outlaw would defer to the young man’s judgment in this matter of escape. "Then shall we go find one of these uniforms?" They crept to a smaller storage room and found uniforms to fit every size and shape. Finally Zorro found one that would fit him; in fact he found it to be a bit big, so he slipped it on over his costume. It was a one-piece outfit that opened in the front, with no obvious buttons, strings, or hooks. "Will, how do you fasten this thing?" Zorro asked in consternation.**

**Will zipped it up for him, chuckling. Zorro laughed softly with him. "Too bad we do not have these in Los Angeles. Very useful."**

**"Uh, sir," Penny hesitated. "You’re going to have to take off the mask. I hope you don’t mind."**

**"Well, since we are not in California, it really does not matter." He undid the knot in back and slipped the mask and bandana off. As he was putting them inside the uniform, he heard the children make soft cries of surprise. They were staring at him in total shock.**

**"What is wrong?" Diego asked, a bit disconcerted at their sudden change of behavior.**

**"Except for the mustache, you look like a younger twin of our Dad," Will said in surprise.**

**"How interesting. But I think we should do what needs to be done and then maybe I can meet this twin of mine." Diego picked up the saber where he had laid it down and strapped it on. "This may look very obvious, but I am not leaving it here. Who knows, maybe this backward outlaw might be able to surprise these strange looking jailers of ours."**

**Will led the way straight to the command deck. To Diego, the corridors seemed very plain and austere. Everything was made of metal and their boots made soft, hollow sounds as they walked to their destination. Diego thought it strange that there were no guards. Maybe these people didn’t expect any trouble from any of their prisoners. They shouldn’t have underestimated these two children, though, especially the boy.**

**Will handed him a small card.It was about the size of a _bruha_ card, but it was hard and rigid. "Put it in the slot right there, and act like you are our guard." Diego put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and looked stern. The door hissed open and the three slipped inside. There was only one being in the room. When he said something that Diego couldn’t understand, the _Californio_ just calmly walked up to him with a smile and quickly slid the sword out, letting the point rest between the being’s eyes. Penny clouted it with a book of some kind, and the creature slid to the floor with a grunt. **

**Will took the card from Diego and ran to the door, closing it. "Now we won’t be bothered for awhile." The boy sat down behind a box-like machine with some sort of glass window and began to push on buttons in front of it. All kinds of symbols appeared on the glass. Diego looked at it intently, but even though he couldn’t figure out what it was, he was still curious enough to watch. "If you don’t mind, would you stand by the door, in case someone else with an access card comes in?" Will asked him.**

**" _Sí_ ," Diego agreed, with a smile. "And you will be able to do your job without someone looking over your shoulder." Later when Will announced that he had almost finished getting the coordinates, (‘Whatever those are,’ Diego thought) the _caballero_ heard a slight noise at the door. "Watch out, I think we have run out of time! Someone is at the door."**

**At the same time the ship lurched, the door slid open and a being resembling a bull without the horns and tail started in. Diego let him come all of the way in before he stepped in front of him with the sword in readiness. "Riboxis," he heard Penny gasp.**

**Riboxis reached for a weapon at his side, but Diego was too fast for him and the strange looking pistol had been flung from the grip of the alien and was skittering across the metal floor. Diego placed the point of his saber at the throat of the bull-man. "Do not force me to see what color your blood runs, _señor_ ," Diego warned the creature. "Stand very still." Will Robinson was making exclamations of delight and triumph, but Diego didn’t take his eyes off of the strange bull-man. **

**"You think that I am afraid of an oversized knife in the hands of an ignorant savage?" Riboxis sneered, reaching up for the blade. Diego whipped it around in a quick slashing circle and found that the man’s blood was slightly purple. Riboxis stared at his slashed arm and then looked up at Diego.**

**"You should be, _señor_ ," Diego laughed. "I will do worse if you persist." Suddenly sirens sounded and the ship lurched again, harder this time. The front glass window cleared and Diego was astonished to see vessels out among the stars in front of them. **

**"Zorro, watch out," Penny shouted.Riboxis had grabbed a rod of some kind and was swinging at Diego. Ducking, he brought his blade up, and again, slashed the arm of his attacker. The rod hit the deck with a clattering noise. Riboxis charged him and Diego simply sidestepped and used the hilt of his sword to knock him unconscious. He had to do it twice; apparently Riboxis had a very hard head. Using the creature’s accoutrements, he quickly tied the alien up.**

**"Who are they?" Diego asked Will and Penny, in awe at the incredible sight of all of those vessels hanging in space among the stars. The children seemed very excited.**

**"I don’t know about most of them, but that one, (he pointed to a saucer shaped one), is my family’s." The screen that the boy had been working at lit up and a face appeared on it. Diego was astonished. This must be the children’s father, and they were right, the man looked like an older version of himself. The elder Robinson was talking animatedly to his children. He had the look of one who had recently spent many sleepless nights looking for his children.**

**"Will, I think that the rest of this ship is unaware of your rescuers out there. I believe we are about to be attacked." Diego stationed himself near the door, through which he heard a great commotion. "Watch out for pistol shots!" he shouted. The door slid open and pistol shots weren’t exactly what Diego encountered next. He realized that the only way for him to keep the children alive was to get the weapons out of the attackers’ hands before they could fire them, because he couldn’t fight against flame or whatever it was coming from the barrels of the weapons.**

**As soon as one of their enemies reached in, Diego used his sword to disarm him of his weapon or his hand, as the case may be. The _Californio_ didn’t have the luxury of being overly humane. Finally one managed to get in and the creature grabbed some kind of pole when Diego had relieved him of his ‘pistol’. The alien attacked ferociously. **

**Meanwhile, Penny had grabbed one of the weapons and knowing how to use it somewhat, was taking care of the other attackers at the door. Will left the machine and grabbed one also.**

**His own assailant had very tough, warty-looking skin, and Diego’s blade seemed to have no effect, except to make it angry. Diego ducked and dodged, slashing and stabbing at the creature. Never had he been in a fight as insane as this one. The tough skinned creature finally was able to bat the saber away, and reached in and grabbed Diego, pulling him into a steel-gripped bear hug that threatened to crack his ribs. They were near the wall and Diego pulled his legs up to his chest and gave a mighty push against the bulkhead, throwing his attacker off balance. He was barely able to squirm out of the alien’s grasp and snatching up his sword, stand panting for air. The alien came close to him and Diego jerked his sword up, scratching the tough skinned man’s knee. Immediately the creature commenced howling, and then fell to the floor, writhing. Diego shrugged and turned to the door. Far be it for him to argue against providence.**  
  
---  
  
**[Chapter Three](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/rendezvous3.htm)**  
---  
**[Chapter One](http://www.bookscape.net/zshort/rendezvous1.htm)**  
**[Zorro Contents](http://www.bookscape.net/zorro/zorrocontents.htm)**  
**[Lost in Space Fanfiction Page](http://www.bookscape.net/LISfictionpages.htm)**  
**[Main Page](http://www.bookscape.net/index.htm)**


	3. Rendezvous to the Future

Rendezvous to the Future

_**Rendezvous to the Future**_  
  
---  
  
**Chapter Three** ****

**The next group of attackers wasn’t quite as tough skinned and between his sword and the children’s weapons they were able to hold most of them at bay. Another one got by them, carrying a sort of spear-like weapon. Having a longer reach, the spear-carrying alien (this one had scaly green skin) tried to stab Diego, but even though tired, the _caballero_ was able to parry the thrusts and occasionally make a few lunges of his own. The green skinned being slashed at him, but the pole was a more awkward weapon and Diego easily reached in before it could recover from its swing.He dispatched the creature with a quick thrust. **

**Diego then went into a defensive stance in anticipation of the next alien and found himself face to face with the children’s father. The resemblance was even uncannier in person then it was on the machine’s window. The elder Robinson seemed even more shocked. Diego cleaned his saber on the clothing of one of the dead attackers and calmly sheathed it, all the time wondering at the resemblance of one almost 200 years removed in time from himself.It was mind boggling to him.**

**"I’m Professor John Robinson," the other man said, staring unabashedly at him. "I want to thank you for your help in returning my children to me."**

**"I am Diego de la Vega of Los Angeles, and it seems that they needed only very little help from me," he returned, staring a bit himself. "We somewhat resemble each other, Professor," Diego understated with a smile.**

**"Did you say your name was de la Vega?"**

**" _Sí_ , son of Alejandro de la Vega," Diego answered.**

**"Well, what do you know," Robinson mused. "My mother did a lot of genealogy and there was a name ‘de la Vega’ in my ancestry, from Alta California, early 1800’s."**

**The idea that he was possibly looking at his descendant boggled Diego’s mind more than the concept of space ships and time travel. "You have the right time, the right place, and the right name," he finally said. "I suppose that makes us relatives," he said with a laugh. "I am most pleased to make your acquaintance, Professor. Now does anyone have any idea how I can get back home to California? As much as I have been intrigued by this adventure, this is not where I belong."**

**"You are a very astute human. You are right, Diego de la Vega of Earth, you do not belong here. And I apologize for the actions of a fellow sentient that have put you through all of this," A very furry being with catlike ears said in a sibilant voice. It explained to the humans that Diego could be returned to his home in the same way that he was taken, by using the coordinates in the computer.**

**When John Robinson asked about getting back to Earth using the same coordinates, different time, the cat alien shook its head no. "Your children have been returned to you, Professor Robinson. We will not interfere in events not directly related to this illegal venture. Earth is not a part of our galactic federation," she explained pointedly.**

**"Would you then allow us to take Diego de la Vega back home?" John asked the alien. "We ourselves have been away from our own kind for a long time, and perhaps it would be more comfortable for _Señor_ de la Vega to travel with fellow humans."**

**The alien made a noise that slightly resembled purring. After a few moments, it agreed. "We have so many of these captives to return to their respective worlds, that your offer is acceptable. We will make arrangements to load the coordinates for his home into the computer on board your ship."**

**John worked out the details of the agreement with the aliens. Later he confided that he hoped during the journey home, they could figure a way around the time difference and find their way to their own time.**

**John and Will worked on solving the time travel problem while Maureen Robinson, the boy’s mother, kept telling him how uncanny the resemblance was to her husband. Every once in awhile, Diego caught her looking askance at him. Judy Robinson, Will’s oldest sister, seemed a bit uncomfortable around him, perhaps because of the resemblance he bore to her father, and during the first part of the trip, she avoided him.**

**Once John found out what an avid chess player Diego was, they played anytime there was a spare moment. Diego was pleased to find someone who could tax his abilities. Occasionally, the others were caught staring at the sight of the two men who so closely resembled each other, gazing intently at the chessboard. John once looked up in exasperation. "Don, would you please go stare at the Robot or something. Diego and I are trying to concentrate." Diego just laughed, moved his rook into the check position and announced that in two moves he would achieve checkmate.**

**John sighed. "I thought maybe I might have found someone willing to play that I might be able to beat. I certainly haven’t been able to beat Will since we started on this trip."**

**Diego was amazed. "Will is better than you are? You have been my best competition since Father Benedictus was transferred to the mission near Monterey. My father is too impatient and my manservant, Bernardo is not skilled enough. He would rather play himself," Diego laughed. "That way he is assured of always winning, if, of course he does not get into arguments with himself." Later that day, he played Will and when the game ended in a draw just before supper, Diego conceded that he had never played a more skilled player.**

**Major Don West was fascinated with Diego’s fencing abilities and took lessons while on route back to Earth. Diego was impressed with the major’s quickness, agility and enthusiasm, and the _Californiano_ enjoyed teaching and practicing with West.**

**When Diego first met the Robot, he had stared at the contraption for a few minutes before he could think of anything to say. The mechanical creature had a barrel shaped body, a glass topped head, rubbery arms with pincer like hooks on the end and legs that ended in wheels, instead of feet. Apparently the Robot was aware of customs of Spanish California, because he always called him Don Diego.**

**Will asked him about that one day. "I am a land owner, of several generations, _don_ is not a name for me, like it is for Major West, it is a title, translating to sir. My family has ties to the gentry of Spain, also," Diego explained. After that the two younger children called him Don Diego until he told them that just calling him Diego was sufficient. "We have fought side by side. We are also related, it seems and relatives do not speak thusly to one another."**

**Whenever a task needed to be done, Dr. Smith, the oldest member of the crew, always disappeared, or if he couldn’t find a place on the space ship to hide, he complained. About his head, his feet, his stomach, his back. Diego detested the man and was amazed at the incredible patience of the rest of the crew, feeling that they deserved their place in heaven for having put up with Smith’s whining for the several years that John said they had been on their journey.**

**One day, while giving Don West a fencing lesson, Diego was unable to concentrate due to the hypochondriac’s complaints. Finally he had enough. Pivoting around with lightening speed, Diego held the sword at Smith’s throat and declared, " _Señor_ , I can cure your insufferable headache, and I am not even a doctor." He pointed the saber at Smith’s knees. "I can cure the horrible pain in your knees, also." Smith jumped up with lightening speed and turned to run. "I can also cure your back ache," he added and before Smith could run out of the room, he slashed a ‘z’ on the back of his pants. Smith ran, screaming, past the robot and jumped down to the lower level not even using the ladder. **

**"Don Diego, you have healed Dr. Smith at least until tomorrow," the Robot intoned. And everybody could have sworn that they heard a mechanical ‘heh, heh, heh.’**

**"Are you sure I can’t talk you out of your saber when you get home?" Don asked, trying to keep a straight face. "I could really use it."**

**John came up the elevator with a puzzled look on his face. "What in the world is wrong with Dr. Smith?" he asked. "I don’t believe I have ever seen him move so fast."**

**Everybody laughed, which puzzled him even more. "Diego applied a little fencing lesson to the seat of Smith’s pants." Don finally was able to tell him. John laughed along with them.**

**With the coordinates given them, the journey to 1820 Earth took considerably less time than the outward journey of the Jupiter II. As the ship lay in orbit, John announced that he had figured out the time travel factor by following the path of the ship’s flight on the computer. "I programmed the computer to record every part of the flight, and I saw the fluctuations as the Jupiter II entered a time warp. I think I can work the computations out so that we can stay in Earth orbit as the reverse time warp is achieved. In other words, we’ll be home, thanks to Diego."**

**Diego felt a bit self-conscious about something that had been entirely out of his control. He said as much.**

**The ship landed in the pre-dawn hours of the same night that Diego had been abducted. Even though John had patiently explained the theory behind time travel, Diego had trouble understanding the concept, but was grateful that no one had been worrying about him for the actual length of time he had been gone. He was back in the costume of Zorro, excluding the mask.**

**"Diego, I hope you know how much I am indebted to you for saving my children." John told him. "And indirectly having enabled us to get to our proper time," he said as Diego put the mask on.**

**"John, your children saved me as much as I saved them. They are very resourceful. You should be proud of them." Zorro answered. "This has been a very incredible journey and I shall never forget you or your family."**

**Clasping hands with his descendant, he immediately felt a sting in his wrist, even through the riding gloves. As his mind started to cloud, he realized that he had been drugged. "John, what...why ? Can’t be found like this, please." His knees buckled and he felt himself being held up by John.**

**"I’m sorry to do this to you, Diego, but you must forget. The future may depend on your forgetting, and that was the condition of letting us bring you home." Zorro heard the anguish in John’s voice. "But I will never forget you, Diego de la Vega; El Zorro, I am proud to be related to you."**

**" _Vaya con Dios_ ," Zorro whispered and then a thick blackness overtook him.**

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**Some hours later, when the morning sun rose enough to hit him in the face, Zorro rolled over with a groan and struggled to his knees. The jingling of tack told him that a horse was nearby, but he was unable to get up. Vaguely, Zorro remembered something his mind called a space ship, but everything was a blur. Then the outlaw heard the horseman dismount and walk around as though looking for something. And in despair, he realized that John had not left him far enough off the road. ‘John?’ his befuddled mind thought, ‘Who is John?’**

**After awhile, the rider knelt by his side and Zorro realized, remotely, that it was Bernardo. Relief washed over him and he sagged against the manservant in his drugged weakness. Much later, he woke in his own bed at the _hacienda_ , with his father sitting nearby. "What happened, my son? Bernardo seems to think that you were given a narcotic of some kind." **

**He pondered for a short minute. "I really have no idea, Father. I recollect none of the events following the time I left the _cuartel_ until I woke up by the side of the road, but I see strange things in my mind, that make no sense at all." **

**Thereafter, at times, Diego could be found outside at night looking up at the stars, trying to remember, trying to figure out the bits of weird memory that occasionally wandered through his thoughts.**

**The End**  
  
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